Can-marking device



Feb. 22', 1949. J. ALBERTOLi CAN MARKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 21, 946

INVENTOR. John Alberto/i BY 2L AQAJW Aff'y CAN -MARKING DEVIGE EJbhn Albertoli, San Francisco flalif.

:Applica'tiurfidanuary 21, 1946,SeiiiilNoi6425489 (Claim-:37)

"1 Claim. 1

Illris zainvention relates .-to improvements .:in mwanseformnarking cans, andrparticularlyrthat iweofrcazns used for packingtsandines,:anchcvies .zand'thedilse, which cans are relatively shaliowsand sma-yibe either oval or oblong in shape.

'EEIhegirihcipal object of this inventionzristurprowide meansiwhereby each ean,.-.as.:-it passesrdown one of several delivery chutes, will receive a mark on one side thereof, which mark will designate the person packing at any one particular chute; this marking may be either the name of the person, a code or a number.

A further object is to produce a marking device which may be attached to and become a part ,of any of' the standard makes of canning equipment such as shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 642,488, filed January 21, 1946.

A further object is to produce a device which is economical to install and one wherein changes may be made in the indicia on the code-wheel whenever the operator at that particular chute is changed.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary detailed view showing the upper end of a delivery chute with my invention attached thereto, and

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. Land looking from the left of the drawing and with the cans eliminated.

In the canning of fish, it is necessary for each packer to pick up a fish, remove the entrails, and to then place the fish in an empty can. When the can has been filled the same is removed and another can placed in its stead for the purpose of filling it.

It sometimes occurs that an operator may neglect to properly clean the fish, that is by removing the entrails, and as a result such cans are rejected by the inspectors; consequently, the entire shipment may be condemned.

It is, therefore, imperative that some means be provided for determining the identity of packers thus neglecting their work and in order to do so, it is necessary that each can be marked in some way.

For this purpose I have provided a marking device which may be attached to any standard canning equipment, so that each can, as it passes down the chute to the packer, will have an iden- ,2 ntifi'cation+mark stampe" thereon, thus- -enaliling the :inspe'ctor to determine 'immediately "themame o'f the packer -of' the 'can -which' has ibeen iountl ftol-fbe defective. It-ihas beemproven 'that bythe mse of this device-rejects' have practically been eliminated.

i' 'In'dahe accompanying drawingswherein for' the murposecofi illustration ise'shown' esprferr'ed embodiment of my invention, the numera1'5 designates the frame of an ordinary canning machine, upon which are mounted conveyor belts 6 and l positioned on opposite sides of the-upper end of a chute 8. The bolts 6 and l are trained over pulleys l1 and I8 which are fixed on shafts I9 and 20. On each of the shafts is fixed a sprocket 2|, these sprockets being driven by a chain 22.

A the cans A are moved by the conveyor 6 toward the conveyor 1, they will move into the broken line position B and down into the chute 8, if there is room within the chute for additional cans.

'If the chute is full, then the cans will move from the position B to the dotted-line position C; thence, to position D and on toward the next chute.

The bottom can E in the chute comes to rest against stops 9, which are so positioned that when the chute is full of cans the uppermost can is at a point where it lowermost end is in the same plane as the axis of the marker-wheel H, and the upper end of the can will act as a bridge to guide other cans from the belt 6 to the belt 1.. The stops 9 at the bottom of the chute serve to position the bottom can into a convenient location for the operator to remove the can from the chute, after which another can may enter the top of the chute.

As these cans are oval in shape, it is apparent that the marker-wheel carrying indicia, stamping projections I'D lies within a vacant area formed by the contacting curved ends of the two uppermost cans in the chute.

This marker-wheel is rotated by gears l2 and I3, the gear I3 being fixed on one of the shafts l9 and the gear I2 meshing with the gear Ill. The gear I2 is fixed on the rotatably mounted shaft 23 on which the marker-wheel II is also fixed. In order to permit the wheel II to enter the chute 8 a window 24 is provided in said chute.

A backing-wheel l4 serves to hold the can against the marking-wheel as the can passes downwardly through the chute.

An inking-pad is'shown at I6, which rotates against the indlcia, projections Hi.

It is, of course, understood that there may be a large number of chutes extending along the packing area, each having a, marking device.

The result of this construction is that as the cans move from the position A into the chute,

they will pass downwardly and each can will be caused to move between the backing-wheel l4 and the marker-wheel ll, so as to cause a stamping on the side of the can, thereby identifying all cans passing through that particular chute.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a device which will accomplish all of the objects above set forth.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoinecl claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: In a machine for marking a side of a can, a vertical chute for said cans and having a window in one side, means for feeding cans into said chute, a belt pulley at the upper end of the chute adjacent the window provided side, a shaft whereon said pulley is fixed, a second belt pulley spaced from the first pulley, a belt trained around said belt pulleys for supporting on its upper run 4 can overrunning the chute when filled, a shaft whereon said second pulley is fixed, driving means for said first shaft, a marker-wheel having a segmental portion projecting into the chute through said window, a rotatable shaft whereon said marker-wheel is fixed, gearing connecting said first and third shafts and moving the surface of the marker-wheel in synchronism with said belt, and stops at the lower end of said chute positioned to cause the column of cans in the chute to 'be held so that abutting ends of two adjacent cans in the chute lie opposite and free from said marker-wheel.

JOHN ALBERTOLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

